Love the most used and equally misused word.
Love is arguably the most used and equally misused word in the English language. For although it still retains its strong meaning of commitment and sacrifice to some people, for others it is just another word that can be used in deceit or used interchangeably with ‘like’.
In the frantic search for love, many have wasted their time in painful relationships that didn’t just worth it. We can all help by making things easier for ourselves. How? You may ask. There is a story about a struggling company that decided to organize a management training for its staff, an expert was invited to give the talk. On the last day of the three-day lecture, he distributed balloons to the staff, 50 in total, and then asked everyone to inflate their balloons and write their names on it using a marking pen. The inflated balloons marked with names were then thrown into a room and everyone was asked to find the balloon that has their name on it. As expected, it was a rowdy atmosphere, balloons flying around as each staff member was on a frantic search to find that balloon that has their name.
After some time, the speaker stopped the exercise as only a few staff could find their balloons. Then he instructed them to restart the exercise but in a different way this time; pick up any of the balloons and give it to the person whose name is on it. Within a very short time, each staff stood up smiling, with the balloon that has their name written on it. It passed the message across – we must be willing to give as much as we are willing to receive. And this turned around the fortunes of the company. This message if applied in our everyday activities and relationships will go a long way in easing a lot of bad tensions and making us happier.
So, in searching for love or in trying to reignite a dying flame, always look within first. What are you willing to give? What sacrifices can you make? Love connotes action; in giving and receiving, in taming our egos; we make sacrifices, we let it flourish. Say ‘I love you’ more frequently and genuinely, expressing those deep feelings of commitment and sacrifice. Love should help in drawing us closer instead of pulling us apart.
In this Valentine season where love is in the air and emotions are stirred, we should look beyond the hullabaloo surrounding the memorial of a saint’s ultimate sacrifice for love and try to express its true essence. Give and appreciate those seemingly little acts of love to everyone around you. Love might be abstract but it isn’t elusive, it is real and is the strongest force in our universe. You can find it and you can share it, but first start from within; for as you can only give what you have, you can only attract what lies within.
Ogozi John, International Managing Editor of VertiKal Life
